Analysis of wear resistance and its mechanism in an Fe–Mn–Si–Cr–Ni shape memory alloy

The wear resistance and its mechanism in an Fe–17Mn–5Si-10Cr–4Ni shape memory alloy have been studied by means of friction wear tests, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results show that the wear resistance of Fe–17Mn–5Si–10Cr–4Ni alloy in oily friction is remarkably higher than that in dry friction. Compared with stainless steel, the wear resistance of Fe–17Mn–5Si–10Cr–4Ni alloy in dry friction is lower, but higher remarkably in oily friction. From XRD analysis and SEM observations, it is found that there are large amounts of ɛ martensite in the worn surface of Fe–17Mn–5Si–10Cr–4Ni alloy after oily friction, but no ɛ martensite in the worn surface of the alloy after dry friction. From these results, it is concluded that the mechanism for high wear resistance of Fe–Mn–Si shape memory alloy in oily friction is stress-induced γ → ɛ martensitic transformation.